Improvement in machines for planing iron



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM SELLERS, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FQR PLANING IRON.

Specifica-tion forming part of Letters Patent No. 212,797, dated May17,1864.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that l, WILLIAM SELLERS, of Philadelphia, in the State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Planing-Machines forMetal; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and exactdcscription thereof.

The objects of my invention are, first, to effect the lifting of thetool from the work on the back-stroke of the planer in any position ofthe slidefrest second, to provide a thorough protection to thewearingsurface of the slides from the chips or dirt incidental to theworking of the machine; third, to insure a con-v stant and uniformlubrication of the slides without undue loss of oil.

The nature of my invention can be understood from the followingdescription of a machine built on Iny plan, in which reference is madeto the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, inwhich- Figure 1 is a front elevation ofthe machine, showing part of thetable and bed in section; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the machine,showing the cross-head and part of the bed in section; Fig. 3, a frontView of cross-head with circular piece removed from saddle to show theinte rioryFig. 4, a plan of saddle and cross-head, partially insections; Fig. 5, an end view of cross-head, similar letters ineachreferring to similar parts.

All planing-machines for metal of improved construction are so arrangedas to be able to adjust the feed for planing horizontal, vertical, orangular surfaces, and such planers are advertised as having positivegeared feeds self-acting in all directions. The horizontal feed is inevery case obtained from the motion of the saddle on thecross-head,while the vertical and all the angular feeds are obtained from theslide-rest upon the saddle, which may be set vertically or have its lineof motion adjusted to any angle with the cross-head. This, of course,necessitates the turning of a portion of the saddle on a center, andthrough this center the power to operate the downfeed is in most casesconveyed. In order to relieve the tool from needless wear during theback-stroke of the planer-table, it is hung in what is called an apron,so adjusted as tol allow the tool to swing loose on the backstroke ofthe planer-table, but to be held rig\ idly when cutting. In largeplaners, when the weightof the tool is great, and in all line planing,this liberation of the tool is not suflicient of itself, but somearrangement must be added whereby the tool-point shall be actuallylifted clear of the work on the back-stroke and dropped into place readyfor the cut after the article to be planed has passed under it.

By my invention l am enabled to lift the tool in every position of theslide-rest, and to do so from within the crosshead without interferin gwith any of the machinery for Working the feeds, which, as I have beforesaid, occupy the center about which the adjustable part of the saddlerotates.

In the annexed drawings, A is the crosshead of a planing-machine. Uponthis slides the saddle B. Upon the saddle B rotates a circular piece, C,which is guided in turning by a circular groove in the saddle, acorresponding tongue on the piece C fitting therein. This groove alsoserves for the bolt which holds the circular piece in position to slidein. Upon the circular piece G moves the vertical slide rest D. To theslide-rest l) is attached,

the frame E. This frame carries the toolapron F. The frame E vibrates toa limited extent around a journal, G, at the lower end of the slide-restD, and is held in position by bolts in the curved slot H. The object ofthis vibration is to enable the tool to be adjusted in reference to thework, and to so set it that on vertical or angular feeds it can be madeto clear itself on the back-stroke, for the tool itself is bolted to theapron F, which apron is hinged at its upper end to the frame E. Onhorizontal planing the frame E sets ver tically-z'. e., the hinge of theapron is square, with a vertical slide, and in lifting its motion is ona plane coincident with the line of motion of the vertical feed, but atright angles to the direction of the cross-feed.l On vertical andangular feeding, however, the feed is accomplished by a movement of thevertical slide, and not of the saddle on the cross-head, hence the frameE must be so set that the plane of motion of the apron must be at anangle with the line of motion of the slide-rest, in order to let thetool-point lift away from the work. In the center of the saddle B arebevel-wheels, which convey the feedmotion from a shaft within thecross-head to the nut of the screw I, and it is around these wheels as acenter that the circular piece O can be rotated. The frame E alsovibrates around its journal G as a center, and it is through these twocenters that the power to lit't the apron must be conveyed, while theposition of these two centers is continually varying on a line radial tothe center of C. To accomplish this I recess into the saddle B anannular space, in which I place a wheel, K. This space is concentricwith the circular piece C, and the wheel K has its bearing outside ofthe bearing of the center bevel wheels. Gearing into wheel K is apinion, L. the sha-ft of which extends through the saddle, and has acord-wheel, M, on the inside ot' cross-head. The wheel K has attached toit a segment, N, in which is a cam-groove spiral to the wheel K. In thisgroove slides a block. This block is attached to the end ot' a pipe, O,which surrounds the vertical feed-screw I. The pipe O extends above thetop of the saddle, and carries at its upper end a pair of elasticclamps, I. These clamps operate by friction a tlat rod, Q, which passesthe whole length of the vertical slide on its side next to the saddle.lthe lower end of this rod Q, is thickened up, and has a hole mortisedthrough it. Inv this hole the long arm of' abell-crank lever, S, titsloosely'.

"Ihe bell-crank S hasits fulcrum in thejour nal G, and its short armextends down immedately behind the tool-apron, so that if the long armbe lowered it will push forward the tool-apron, and when it is raisedallow it to i'all lback into its place.

Around the cord-wheel M passes a cord, which extends the whole length ofthe crosshead, guided over sheaves at each end. To one end ot' this cordis hung a weight. The other end is attached to any part ot' the planermachinery which will impart to it a reciprocating` motion correspondingwith the motion ot` the table, but occurring only at each end of thetable movement, as in all the arrangements for lifting the tool with acord now in common use. The amount of this cord motion must be somewhatmore than enough to move the spiral slot in segment Nits entire length,and thus raise and depress the rod Q by means of the elastic clamps Pand pipe Oitsfull amount, the cord slipping its excess of motion on thewheel M. Y

AThe counterweight attached to the cord must -be heavy enough to do thework, but not so heavy as to cause needless friction on the wheel IVI.

When the vertical slide is turned into any new position, the pin in thespiral slot willdrag thevwheel K around the cord-wheel M, slippingwithin its encircling cord, and as soon .as the vmachine is started theparts will adjust themselves to the new position, so that no matter whatangle the vertical slide stands in with reference to the cross-head thetool-lifting apparatus will work,

- I am well aware that various devices have been used to raise and lowerthe point of the tool. In some of these there has been a cord passing infront of the saddle, arranged to move a wedgel or inclined plane behindthe toolapron, in which case the lifter can only be used when theslide-rest is vertical or at a slight angle in either direction.

In other machines in which the feed-motion for the vertical slide isoperated by a ratchet on top of said slide, and not at the end ot'cross-head, the power which gives motion to the ratchet is used to worka cam which lifts the tool-apron. This last plan is not, however,applicable to the form of slide rest which I have described and prefer.

In all planing-machines the apron must be back in its place rmly seatedagainst its metal support before the tool enters the cut. It' by anyaccident, such as the breaking otl the lifter-cord while the tool is up,the point of the tool should not fall in time for the cut, but should inl'process of the feed strike the unplaned part of the metal, thelifting-gear is usually broken by being subjected to this un` duestrain. To avoid this trouble, some have placed springs under the apron,so that theV lifting-power may be elastic, and that the springs mayyield and the apron be pressed home, even it' the lifter is stillholding it up. But in my machine this difficulty can never result inharm, for by the use ofthe bell crank S the strain brought to bear onthe tool will press back the apron toward its seat, transferring thedirection of the motion to an end movement of the rod Q, which willslide in its elastic clamps without harm to any part of the machinery.The bellcrank, or any equivalent thereto whereby the motion of the apronin'being forced back shall be changed in direction and made to move thelifting-gear without harm, is an important feature ot' my invention.

The nature of' my invention consists in providing a definite amount ot'reciprocating motion radial to the center of rotation of that pieceinthe slide-rest which determines the angle to be plancd, and in soarranging the devices which impart movement to the apron that an unduepressure upon the apron, when raised will cause it to fall back upon itsseat, and so remain until the lifting movement can be rearranged by thereversal ofthe table movemrnt. i

In the slides of planing-machines there is usually at the bottom'of theV-shaped groove a channel, ct, stopped at both ends, so as to hold oil.At intervals along the ta-ble there are narrow slots mortised into theapex ofthe V, as at b, and in these slots hang loose pieces c calledoilers.7 These oilers drag on the botton of the channel a as the tablepasses back and forth, driving the oil in channel a before it andforcing some of the oil up grooves d d in the side or the table V. Theexcess of the oil which passes up these grooves would run over the topof slide in the bed were not some'little space allowedin the -widthofthe slide to retain it. This extra space, however, is objectionable,as the dirt, dust,

and chips incident to the working of the machine lodges in it, and thusfinds its Way into the wearing-surfaces, to the great injury of themachine. As the table at timesoverhangs the end of the bed, the oil runsdown the V on the overhangin g part, and on the backstroke it is scrapedoft' by the end of the bed, and thus runs onto the iloor unless dishesbe placed to receive it.

To economize oil, to protect the wearingsurface, and to avoid thetrouble above alluded to, I make, in the first place, grooves orchannels f f at the top ofthe table-slidelarge enough to hold all thesurplus oil which is forced up by the oilers. I cover these channels f fby projections g g, extending out on each side of the table V, reachingentirelyT over the edges of the channels ff, and as close to the top ofthe slide las they can be without touching. These covers are of theutmostimportance, and I shall describe their speciic use beforeproceeding with the oiling arrangement. The trouble from falling chips,85e., has always been so serious that in very many planers no holes aremade in the table, the work being held by bolts in the T-grooves only,and in all planers which have holes in the table it is customary toplace them' as far as possible from the Vs, and this distance alone hasbeen relied on as a protection from falling chips and dirt. During theoperation of planing the chips falling onto the table will often glancein passing through the holes, and thus fall into the slides, even thoughthey are some distance away, and, as much sand, dirt, and dust iscontinually falling with the chips, a good deal of it is continuallyfinding its way into the slides. By placing the covers g g as describedneither the large chips nor the finer and more injurious dirt passingthrough the table holes can ever by any chance reach thewearing-surface, and the holes in the table can be, if necessary, placedclose on each side of the web which unites the V to the table.

VI have said that the Oilers dragging along the channel a drive the oilup grooves in the side of the V; theneeinto the upper channels, f f,which l make large enough to receive t-his surplus oil, and, havingprotected it with the covers from dirt, these channels become valuablefeeders of oil to the sliding surface.

Io prevent waste of oil, I arrange at each end of the slides, within thelength of the bed, oil-wells h, cored into the bed, as is shown insection, Fig. l, the opening into the weil being but little wider thanthe channel a; hence butlittle wearingsurface is sacriiced.

I place the stops at the end of the channel a, just inside of theoil-well, as is shown at i', while outside of the well-that is, at theend of the bed-I arrange grooves 1:, slanting toward the oil-wels insuch a manner that the outer edge of the groove shall not touch the V ofthe table, but that the oily surface shall pass clear of it and thesurplus oil be scraped off by the inner edge, and thus conveyed to thewell.

rIhe surface of the V thus never touches the eXtreme end of the bed, andconsequently no oil can be scraped oi so as to run on the floor.

To prevent the swinging oilers touching the end of the bed, I deepen andwiden the channel a at the extreme end ofthe bed, making it so deep andso wide that the drop of oil hangingto the oiler cannot be scraped ofIthereby, but will be removed only after it has passed the well and isabout riding over the stop at the end of the channel a.. With thisarrangement it is evident that the oil in the well can never risc to thelevel of that in the channel a.

Thus, without the sacrifice of much wearing-surface, l place within thebed the receptacles for the surplus oil, I compel all the oil scrapedott' to pass into these receptacles,

and I arrange the oiling-channels a at the bottom of the groove and thechannels f f at the top of the groove in the best manner to retain oiland distribute it over the wearing-surface.

As the oil accumulates in the Wells, it can be dipped up and poured intothe channel a,

thus insuring the greatest conomy of lubricating material.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is`

1. Producinga motion radial to the axis of rotation of the circularpiece U, for the purpose of raising the tool, substantially asdescribed.

2. The use of the bellcrank S, or its equivalent, for the purpose and inthe manner substantially as specliefh 3. Providing the slideson thetable with overhanging edges g g, substantially as described, and forthe purpose specified.

4. Arranging within the slides of the bed oil-receptacles h, combinedwith the stops i', substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. Arranging the outer end of the oil-well so that the oil in theswinging oilers cannot touch in passing over, substantially asdescribed, and for the purpose specified.

6. In combination with the channel a and stop t', the oil-receptacles h,when so arranged that theoil can never rise to the level of a,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

WM. SELLERS.

Witnesses J oHN SELLERS, J nr., THEonoRE BERGNER.

